Working nuclear plant could take opportunity from coal market

摘要

Tennessee Valley Authority's Browns Ferry-1 nuclear generating unit that has been down for more than 20 years is now operating at 100 percent capacity, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's reactor status report released June 18, and that could worry some in the coal market. Coal market participants have followed the news of the unit's restart closely because the output from the plant could affect opportunities for coal-fired generation in Alabama and neighboring states. According to market experts, the restart of the unit could take away some of the growth opportunity for Central Appalachian coal in Alabama and nearby states that are being served by the nuclear plant in north Alabama.